Recipe: Venison Meatball and Spaghetti

SERVES: 2 | PREP TIME: 30 MIN | COOK TIME: 1 HOUR

Around Valentine’s Day, I think most of us look for ways to impress our significant other and make them feel loved. One of my favorite things to do is to cook a real meal for my lady. Thus, the recipe: venison meatball spaghetti, was born.

This recipe was actually somewhat her idea, especially as a spaghetti and meatball dish. We both grew up watching lady and the Tramp. You know, that scene where the two dogs share a romantic meal — with one huge meatball in the middle of the plate — and end the spaghetti meal with a kiss.

There are a few things that make great pasta. The first is well-salted water for the pasta itself. It should taste like the ocean (absolutely salty), but not unbearable. Then, leave the pasta whole and slowly push it down into the water as it softens. Don’t break the stuff, as it’s less fun to eat in smaller pieces.

Next, save a little bit of your pasta water. Ladle out a bit before draining. You’ll use it when dressing the pasta with sauce. Lastly, don’t overcomplicate the flavors in the meatball. The fennel in the meatballs to stand out, the garlic in the sauce to be the star, and a little fresh oregano and pecorino to really round it all out.

It should take about 15-18 minutes for the pan of golf-ball-sized meatballs to cook evenly.

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Of course, this recipe calls for green olives, specifically Castelvetrano, and the briny-yet-savory-notes go so well with the fennel in the meat and the red pepper sauce.

My favorite way of making a red pepper sauce is to puree the precooked ones in a blender. Or buy it jarred and use a fantastic spread from mediterranean markets. It’s called ajvar, and in Greece and Turkey, it’s common to eat it on pieces of bread or scooped with pita. Typically, add half pepper sauce, half tomato sauce, and some sauteed garlic and salt for a pasta sauce. It’s simple yet complex when topped with pecorino Romano and a hearty meatball.

The meatball recipe makes 12-18 meatballs, which is enough for about 5-6 servings. So, scale it by half for a date meal with leftovers. I tend to make a big batch, cook them all, and freeze leftovers while I’m making the mess. It’s an incredible meal prep for future dinners.

If the meatballs are frozen, thaw them during the day in the fridge and pop them back in the oven on a low setting to re-heat later. Lastly, I ended up sautéing a handful of oyster mushrooms from the market in oil with some onion and garlic powder for a little extra kick. This is totally optional, so choose your adventure here.

INGREDIANTS

• ½ pack of spaghetti
• 8 cups of salty water
• 1 lb. of venison
• 1/2 lb. of ground pork
• 5 tablespoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of fennel
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• Fresh oregano
• 8 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 cup smashed Castelvetrano green olives
• 1 cup of pecorino cheese (or other hard cheese to finish)
• 1 cup of tomato sauce (or marinara)
• 1 cup of roasted pepper puree
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• ½ cup crunchy sautéed oyster mushrooms seasoned with salt, garlic, and onion powder
• Olive oil

DETAILED STEPS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Get a large soup pan with 5 inches of water in it, salted to taste like the ocean. Make it salty (but not gross) and put it on to boil.
3. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
4. Smash four garlic cloves, leaves from a couple stems of fresh oregano, 1 teaspoon of fennel seed, and a dash of olive oil in a mortar and pestle.
5. Mix into meat with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, parsley, and crushed olives.
6. Whisk four eggs and add to mix. Then at the end, fold in breadcrumbs and mix until even.
7. Roll meatballs between hands in a golf ball or larger sized ball. Try to keep them somewhat even.
8. Lay them out on the sheet pan evenly, making sure they don’t touch so they cook evenly all around for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
9. While the meatballs are cooking, chop the rest of the garlic and sauté it in a tablespoon or so of olive oil.
10. Once lightly browned (but not burned), toss in your tomato and pepper sauces, and salt to taste.
11. Let it simmer on low with occasional stirring.
12. Put half a pack of spaghetti into the pot for 7 or so minutes. Follow the timing on the package.
13. Drain the pasta when cooked, but save a splash of pasta water for dressing the noodles later.
14. Put drained pasta into pan with a tiny bit of the water. Pour the sauce over the noodles and mix well.
15. Pull out the meatballs.
16. Put spaghetti into pasta dish. Place a few meatballs in the middle of each plate. Garnish with fresh grated pecorino, crunchy mushrooms, and a few fresh oregano leaves at the end.

Now, enjoy!

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